Westerly Hospital to perform its first robotic surgeries on Tuesday
Westerly — Surgeons at Westerly Hospital were scheduled to perform two robotic surgeries Tuesday, the hospital’s first two uses of a new da Vinci Xi Surgical System offering patients a minimally invasive alternative to traditional surgery.
The hospital took delivery of the new equipment late last month.
Surgeons are expected to use it to treat urologic cancers, prostate enlargement, male infertility, kidney stones, hysterectomies, thyroid cancer, colorectal procedures and hernias.
“We are proud to offer the latest and most advanced robotic surgical techniques to our patients at Westerly Hospital,” Patrick Green, president and chief executive officer of Lawrence + Memorial and Westerly hospitals, said in a statement. “Our investment in this world-class technology will enhance the care we provide to our community and allows our patients to return more quickly to their day-to-day lives.”
L+M acquired the da Vinci Surgical System in 2013 and extended its use to urological procedures in 2018 after the arrival of a urology practice headed by Dr. Joseph Renzulli, director of urology for Yale New Haven Health’s Eastern Region, which includes L+M and Westerly hospitals.
“We have an experienced operative team supporting our robotic surgical program that spans multiple surgical disciplines,” Renzulli said. “The combined experience of the robotic surgeons that will be working at Westerly Hospital represents thousands of prior robotic surgeries.”
During robotic surgery, a surgeon controls robotic surgical instruments from a console stationed several feet from the patient while viewing magnified, three-dimensional images of the surgical area on a screen. Small incisions are made to accommodate the instruments.
Compared to open surgeries, recovery times from robotic surgeries can be significantly shorter.
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